The annual Gallup poll on the death penalty was released in late October. The results of the poll found that support for capital punishment across the United States is near a 40-year low, and Gallup also found that Republican support for the death penalty has fallen by 5% in just one year. This is a substantial shift in such a short period of time, and it likely stems from the fact that many Republicans now see capital punishment for what it is, a dangerous and expensive government program.

Continuing our series of conservative conversations about the death penalty, we featured two segments this month. Clare McCallan, Young America’s Foundation, described what it means to be pro-whole-life and how it is inconsistent with the death penalty. Austin Paul, Turning Point USA, discussed the issue of fiscal responsibility and how costly capital punishment really is.

Conservatives Concerned in the Field

I traveled to central and south Florida sharing the conservative case against the death penalty, and I spoke at events hosted by conservatives and libertarians at the University of South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Central Florida, and at the monthly meeting of the Orange County, Florida Young Republicans. I was welcomed with open arms, met many supporters, and even changed many attendees’ views of capital punishment.